Michigan Shuts its Water Off

The town of Michigan, North Dakota is having to get by without water.

The town shut off it's water on Tuesday. With problems in their sewer system and the recent rainfall, officials say it had to be done.

"We've gotten a lot of water, but not a drop to drink," said Jim Vasichek, a Michigan resident.

With the heavy rains lately, he finds it ironic his town of Michigan doesn't have any water.

" It's frustrating. We haven't had water for two days. We have no sewer system. It's getting to be a primitive deal."

Michigan has a sewer system, but with so many cracks, ground water was leaking in. That's why the town had to shut the water off. The excess ground water could have caused the sewer system to back up into peoples' homes. Add the recent rainfall, and you have even more water leaking in. Water that has to be eliminated.

"These guys are working day and night to get this resolved," said Vasichek.

Right now the goal is to get this excess water away from the town. They are pumping it into a ditch to get it out. Officials say that once the water is turned back on, residents should use it in moderation.

" Getting water out of the tap is not the problem for us, but the water that goes down the drain is the problem," said City Council member, Scott Gilbertson

Gilbertson said there is nothing wrong with the town's water, but officials said it had to be shut down to preserve the integrity of the sewer system.

" Our lift station was getting fuller of water and weren't able to keep up."

Gilbertson said they had to let the water level at the lift station go down. He said they are getting closer to a fix.

" We're working on a temporary solution at the moment to get things under control. Then will work towards a permanent solution."

Tags: brady mallory, no water, michigan water, jim vasichek, scott gilbertson, news, michigan, water, rain, sewer